Hayalci
by purpleshrub
Summary: Do Jaffa daydream? Teal'c is bored. Give this one a shot, it's fun (and hopefully unique).


OK, so Nialla issued a challenge on livejournal and even though I have like 5 stories in progress, I couldn't resist. Challenge-include a scene in a library and at least one reference to the Dewey Decimal System. Bonus points if the DDS mention does _not_ take place in the library scene. Here's what I came up with...

* * *

Hayalci

Teal'c's room was five paces by five paces. One, two, three ….

It contained a bed and candles for his kelno'reem. Teal'c was not concerned with the room's barrenness. He had possessed similar quarters in the palaces of Apophis on planets other than Chulak, and indeed, quarters on Chulak as well, for when Apophis required him to be close. Lesser-ranking Jaffa slept in large barracks or outside.

Four, five, turn around, one, two….

Teal'c was bored. SG-1 had recently been on several routine missions. Alliances had been made, but nothing of import had happened. Daniel Jackson and Captain Carter were pleased, and Teal'c knew that much was being accomplished. He knew the Tau'ri preferred to avoid violence, and truth be told, admired them for it.

But he was by nature active, and grew restless with little to do. In the service of Apophis, he had always been busy, been needed, and at the rare times he wasn't, he was able to return to his wife. Now the day stretched out before him and to his astonishment, he did not know how to fill it.

Four, five, turn and walk along the wall, one….

When he heard approaching footsteps Teal'c stopped pacing and sat down on his bed. The brisk rap on the door was O'Neill's, so Teal'c said, "Enter."

O'Neill poked his head in the room first, glancing around to Teal'c before his expression slowly creased into a smile (no previous commander of Teal'c's had ever smiled so much) and came in the rest of the way. Without preamble he said, "We're having a team night tonight. Come on." Teal'c raised one eyebrow and followed.

Jaffa warriors did not gather at one another's dwellings for leisure; friendships between those who fought together were rare. But then, the Tau'ri often surprised Teal'c, and he was pleased to have something to do, however routine.

As they waited for the guard to process their identification cards, O'Neill explained, "Carter's briefing SG-8 on some astro-thingy related to their next mission. She'll come over when she's done. And Daniel's at the city library."

"Does the SGC not possess a library?"

O'Neill winced. "See, that's what I said to him. And I got a mini-tirade about how insufficient, incomplete—lots of "ins"—the SGC library is. Plus," here O'Neill lowered his voice, "Daniel found a book by _Budge_ in there."

Teal'c raised his eyebrow again. This was serious news indeed.

O'Neill continued, "Of course, knowing Daniel, he's probably lost track of time and that, my friend, is why I brought you along; to help me rescue him from the depths of the library."

Teal'c was still unsure of the meaning of some of O'Neill's expressions. From what he had seen libraries were not dangerous, so perhaps this was some of O'Neill's humor, but Teal'c was also aware of Daniel Jackson's uncanny ability to find trouble. And while he would not want his young friend to be hurt, a small part of him was pleased at the idea of something to do, someone to save. His thoughts drifted….

_Daniel Jackson lay pinned beneath the massive bookcase, wincing at its weight on his torso and upper legs. Worried humans milled around, calling for emergency services and asking Daniel Jackson where it hurt. O'Neill rushed to Daniel Jackson's side and gripped his hand tightly. Teal'c strode to the bookshelf and directed the nearby humans to assist him. Then he lifted with all his power, preventing more books from falling on Daniel Jackson. As it would be some time before Daniel Jackson could return to SG-1, General Hammond granted Teal'c permission to visit Drey-auc and Rya'c in the Land of Light..._

Teal'c was brought back to the present as O'Neill's truck stopped at a red light. The driver in the next lane stared at Teal'c. Teal'c resisted the urge to pull his hat further down his forehead and stared back until the light changed. The other man pulled away quickly, and Teal'c observed his vehicle's license plate; "29CRIB." He turned to O'Neill. "Does "29CRIB" have some significance on this world?"

O'Neill's mouth opened his mouth to answer, then appeared to change his mind. "Ah, I think Daniel would field this one better than me. It has to do with cards." This partial answer left Teal'c even more mystified than before. He returned to his previous thoughts. No, Daniel Jackson would not be trapped beneath a bookcase. He was in truth not clumsy, though his lack of field training sometimes made him appear that way, compared to the rest of SG-1.

_As Teal'c and O'Neill entered the library, they were met by several frightened humans. "Do you have a cellular telephone? There's a man being abducted!" Teal'c and O'Neill looked at each other. O'Neill said, "Where?" They were directed towards the library's employee entrance where they saw five men with masks over their faces dragging Daniel Jackson away. Wishing for his staff weapon, Teal'c nevertheless smoothly pulled off his shoes and threw them at two of Daniel Jackson's assailants. The sound of the shoes impacting heads was most satisfying. When Teal'c and O'Neill ran towards them with a battle cry, the kidnappers dropped Daniel Jackson and tried to run away. While O'Neill stopped to check on Daniel Jackson, Teal'c pursued the attackers and subdued them. They were transported to the SGC for medical care, interrogation and justice._

A blue sport utility vehicle cut them off and O'Neill gestured in its direction with a raised central finger. Daniel Jackson had explained the significance of this gesture to Teal'c. But Teal'c did not understand why O'Neill would make "the finger" when the other driver could not possibly see it. However, O'Neill did not seem very angry. Actually, he seemed somewhat bored as well.

Although Teal'c enjoyed speaking with all of his teammates, he was also pleased when they recognized his desire for silence. His thoughts again began to wander. No, although other governments or organizations might desire Daniel Jackson, they would not dare abduct him; O'Neill had assured Teal'c of this. And in any case, professional soldiers would be foolish to attempt something in such a public place….

He blinked when he realized they had arrived at the library. O'Neill dropped Teal'c off at the door in order to "go find Daniel" while the vehicle was being parked. The inside of the library was slightly cool. No tearful humans met Teal'c at the door. It was very quiet.

Teal'c was awed by the number of books. Even in the great temples captured by Apophis he had not seen so many scrolls. He wandered along the center aisle, looking down smaller aisles, but did not see his friend. Retracing his steps, he walked through another section, and another. Finally he spotted a familiar figure at a table by the library's large windows. "Daniel Jackson."

Daniel quickly looked up, and said, "Teal'c! Is it that late already?" as he looked at his watch. "Oh," he said, answering his own question. "Is Jack around?" he asked as he began to gather together books and papers.

Before Teal'c could answer, O'Neill's voice broke in. "I was parking the car. Ready?" His tone suggested that Daniel had better be.

"Yeah, yeah," Daniel said.

As they waited to "check out" Daniel Jackson's books—an expression that Teal'c needed clarified, as he had already been given the explanation once before when O'Neill had told Daniel Jackson, "That old lady was totally checking out your ass!" but which did not make sense in this context—Teal'c asked about the "29CRIB."

Daniel Jackson looked thoughtful and shifted his books to one arm so he could push up his glasses. "Um… well, do you remember counting the hands when Feretti taught you poker?"

"Indeed." Teal'c remembered very well. He also remembered Major Feretti grumbling about "beginner's luck."

"Well, a crib is one type of hand counted in a card game called cribbage. Twenty-nine is the highest possible score, and is also extremely rare. That person must be very pleased they got a twenty-nine hand and by putting it on their license plate, they are letting other people who play cribbage know about their achievement. Does that make sense?"

Teal'c inclined his head. He often liked to ask Daniel Jackson for explanations; O'Neill's often left him even more confused, and he knew that Daniel Jackson enjoyed sharing knowledge.

Once in the car, Teal'c said, "I do not understand how you found your books so quickly when there were so many rows to choose from."

"Actually, Tealc, the books are specifically organized to help make them easier to search."

"Like the Dewey Decimal System?" O'Neill said. He smirked at Daniel Jackson's surprised expression. "What? I distinctly remember Mrs. Rubrekt droning on and on about it. I remember because it made me think of Donald. Daffy." He glanced at Teal'c. "Famous ducks."

"Mrs. Rubrekt?" Daniel asked faintly.

"Junior high librarian. Scarier than my dad if she caught you chewing gum, and my dad was a drill sergeant, so that's saying something."

Daniel Jackson pointedly turned away from O'Neill and explained, "It really isn't that complicated. Fiction books are archived alphabetically by author, since if you enjoy one novel by an author, it stands to reason that you would probably like their other work as well. Nonfiction, which is what I was looking up, is organized by topic. That way I can look up, say, creation myths of Sumeria, and find everything the library has together, even though each book is probably by someone different. Does that make sense?"

"Yes," said Teal'c. "But what does O'Neill mean about 'ducks?'"

"I have no idea."

* * *

It had been an enjoyable evening, Teal'c thought, as he prepared himself for kelno'reem and began to light his candles. They had watched a hockey game on O'Neill's television and eaten pizza, which O'Neill insisted was Earth's traditional accompaniment to sporting events. He may have been joking though, as Teal'c had seen Daniel Jackson roll his eyes. Teal'c had refrained from the traditional drink, a fermented beverage.

He decided he would have to speak to General Hammond about acquiring a television set for his room. O'Neill appeared to enjoy his, and Major Ferretti had been telling him a most intriguing tale about a fictional location where humans and aliens lived together and drew on a mystical element in the air known as "the force." He would have to ask Daniel Jackson about it.

He remembered O'Neill's words as he was leaving. _"This will sound bad, but I was almost hoping Daniel had run into trouble at the library, just so we'd have something to do."_ A faint smile crossed Teal'c's solemn features; O'Neill was indeed a true brother. Teal'c lit the last candle and closed his eyes.

* * *

Hayalci is the Turkish word for "daydreamer." Ever noticed that titles that sound dumb in English sound kinda cool translated into another language? Or is that just me? (There's no big significance to the language I chose- I just took one I liked the look of). 


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